Your expert guide answers: is Almería worth visiting?

Published by Cassie on

green text box: Is Almería worth visiting. 4 photos, 1 of desert at sun set, one of person standing in clear sea, one oef rugged coastline and one small white house wall with door

It’s not that surprising that you’re wondering whether Almería is worth visiting. I’m guessing you’re just starting to hear interesting things about this mysterious Spanish region and you’re considering checking it out for yourself.

Almería is absolutely worth visiting and in this article I’ll tell you exactly why. If, by the time you’ve read all the way to the end and you’re not convinced, I’ll… um… yeah, nothing, just be surprised, I guess. 

There are affiliate links in this article. If you click and make a purchase I could make a small sum at zero cost to you. Thank you!

The stats & the comparisons

📈 According to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Almería city received 89,000 international tourists in 2023. In Granada city nearly 900,000 international visitors showed up while Málaga city saw over 900,000 international visitors, and Sevilla, over 1.6 million in the same time period.

The four cities I mentioned are all provincial capitals within Andalucía yet only three of them are particularly well known to international visitors as you can easily see from those numbers.

To me, this makes very little sense since Almería easily holds its own in terms of interesting places to visit, history, culture and nature. Here are 2 very quick examples of this, historical buildings and beaches:

🏰 Big name historical buildings

View from the Alcazaba of a long fortified wall and the land on either side

Each of these 4 cities has a ‘big name’ Moorish building to visit. Sevilla has the Alcazar, Granada has the Alhambra. Málaga has its Alcazaba and so does Almería.

While the Alcazar and the Alhambra are truly spectacular, if you’ve already visited them, or don’t like crowds, Almería’s Alcazaba is a great alternative – it’s a huge and very impressive 10th century site.

🏝 Beaches

long beach taken from above.  v blue water

Of the 4 cities we’re considering, only Málaga and Almería are actually on the coast although both Granada and Sevilla do have good beach day trip options. Both Málaga and Almería have pretty typical urban beaches – there are cafes, ice cream stores, souvenir stores and decent enough beaches. My truth is that I prefer Almería’s city beaches to Málaga’s.

All 4 cities are within easy day trip access to phenomenal coastlines.

🏝 Almería – Costa Almería (much of it within the Cabo de Gata natural park) | 🏝 Granada – Costa Tropical | 🏝 Málaga – Costa del Sol | 🏝 Sevilla – Costa de la Luz (Estrecho National Park) of Cádiz and Huelva

⭐️ If you enjoy visiting places with few visitors, exploring gorgeous beaches, seeing historical buildings and generally having a magnificent time, then yes, Almería more than holds its own and is absolutely worth visiting. Read on to learn more about Almería ⬇️

Wait, tell me exactly where Almería is…

🧭 Almería is a province within the Autonomous Community of Andalucía.

🧭 The province of Almería is located the south-east of Spain on the Mediterranean coast.

🧭 Almería is also the name of the capital city of Almería province.

And is the weather good?

🍸 Well, the Cabo de Gata gets so little rain that it’s considered the driest place in all of Europe, not just Spain! 

🔆 In the summer months, Almería is hot and dry. In the winter months it’s generally calm and mild. December is the wettest month of the year but that’s not saying too much. 

Are there good hotels in Almería?

There are some exceptional options for accommodation in Almería. Whether you want a luxury villa, a decent city hotel, a glamping option, a hotel with full board or a simple apartment, you’ll be able to find it in Almería.

Almería

🗺 Use my Ohtels Gran Hotel ⭐️

This beautifully central hotel is my top pick for a hotel in Almeía. It has an outdoor pool, & a great breakfast.

⭐️ Top apartment recommendation: AlmeriaSuite City Centre ⭐️

If you’re an apartment kinda person, there are plenty of great options in Almería. This is one of my favourites for location and value.

⭐️ Luxury villa recommendation: Villa Infinity Sea View ⭐️

And if you have a car and quite fancy staying just outside of the city, this is hands-down my top recommendation. I wish we’d stayed here. It has 5 bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, pool, jacuzzi, sea views and as a bonus, pets are welcome too.

Cabo de Gata

🗺 Use my

🏕 Top glamping recommendation – WeCamp

Just outside Las Negras, this glamping site has it all. We chose to stay in a super posh tent (with AC, beds, bathroom and kitchen) but there are also apartments and cabins on site. There is a kids’ club, a restaurant, 2 swimming pools and a kids’ playground. We absolutely loved our experience here and will absolutely return to stay again.

🏠 Top country house recommendation – Cortijo la Molina

Located by the Cabo de Gata beach, this country house is particularly rated highly by people who were looking for a tranquil get away. People admire the mountain views, the pool and the well appointed house.

🏝 Perfect beach access – El Faro de los Genoveses

Perfectly located between San José and Playa de los Genoveses, these apartments are a great option for anyone mainly interested in a beach vacation. With sea views, a pool, a family-friendly restaurant on site (as well as well appointed kitchens in the apartments), these are an ideal pick.

Wherever you choose to base yourself, I highly recommend taking day trips to explore the region. You can:

🚗 Rent a car and explore alone

👣 Take tours – use Viator and GetYourGuide to figure out which tours you like (or take my recommendations 😉)

🚌 Use public transport – check Busbud and Omio for bus timetables

What are the highlights of Almería?

​Natural highlights

Cabo de Gata Natural Park 

looking along a rocky Med coastline. V bright blue water

This is undoubtedly the biggest draw of Almería. It’s a spectacular 460km2 of protected park lands including 120km2 of protected marine space. Think rugged hills, beautiful beaches on the Mediterranean sea, and vast empty spaces. It’s impossible to not drive around this area without exclaiming on repeat at the beautiful scenery. 

Disclaimer: yes, it’s true that some parts of Almería are covered in plastic sheeting, which isn’t super pretty, but it’s also an important farming region, in fact, it’s sometimes known as the Greenhouse of Europe. These areas are not in the Cabo de Gata.

What to see / do in the Cabo de Gata 
very blue water, people on a kayak. cliffs on either side

Well, apart from the incredible beaches, really it’s about marvelling at the nature and taking part in outdoor activities. You can hike, take horse riding tours, snorkel, kayak and just weep at the beauty of the panoramic views you’re lucky enough to experience. 

🚗 The best way to explore Cabo de Gata is with your own car because a car brings freedom to move at your own pace, & to change your mind about your itinerary.

🤿 Of course, if you’re here for the beaches then you may also wish to snorkel, kayak, paddleboard, or take boat trips. We wanted to do it all but only ended up snorkelling. I wish we’d had time for more. You can rent equipment or you can take tours.

🌅 Sunset cruises are another fabulous way to experience the Cabo de Gata natural park.

​Almería’s beaches

faded sign for a beach bar with a wooden surf board next to it. blue sky and sand

🏝 For me, it’s the pristine beaches of the Cabo de Gata that are the real draw of Almería.

🏖 If you like your beach amenities and want chiringuitos (beach cafes), bathrooms and other amenities, they are possible to find in the fishing villages and coastal towns of Almería – in Almería city, Roquetas del Mar, around Mojácar, Agua Amarga, San José, Las Negras.

Which beaches do you recommend?

Well, ALL of them really!  

Pristine beaches
person in black tshirt standing in perfect, calm blue sea water

🏝 Playa de los Muertos – this is my absolute favourite spot in the Cabo de Gata. It’s not an easy beach to reach because it requires hike down a steep path but it’s absolutely worth it.

🏝 Playa de Cabo de Gata – I really love the length and wild feel to this beach. If you value your solitude, despite being right next to a small road, it’s easy to ignore everyone and everything here.

🏝 Playa de los Genoveses – close enough to the village of San José that you can walk to, this beach is regularly mentioned as people’s favourite beach in the region.

Beaches with some facilities
beach, sand, calm, blue water, people with umbrellas on the beach

These are small village beaches that have minimal services available. If you’re hoping for more, I recommend checking out Mojácar or Roquetas del Mar.

🏖 Playa de la Calilla – This gorgeous sandy beach in San José has a lifeguard station, showers and because it’s in a village, there are food options. We went snorkelling from here and saw so much marine life so close to shore that we were absolutely gobsmacked.

→ Book a snorkel tour from San José 

→ Book a kayak & snorkel tour from San José

🏖 Las Negras – this beach is a small, pebble beach beach in the village of Las Negras. You can find restaurants, ice cream and a small stores here. I preferred La Cala de Cuervo around the corner from here, which has access to the WeCAMP restaurant.

rocky outcrops in blue water

🧜🏽‍♀️ Don’t forget to also visit the mirador de Arrecife de las Sirenas and the Cabo de Gata lighthouse – the views up here are spectacular. It’s possible to arrange a snorkel tour around the arrecife (reef).

→ Book a kayaking & snorkel tour around the Arrecife de las Sirenas

So, yes, when we’re talking natural parks and beaches, Almería is most definitely worth visiting.

⭐️ Read the full article about Almería’s beaches

Tabernas Desert

view over a valley in the desert at dusk

The only true desert in Europe is found in this corner of southern Spain. I was particularly wowed by the badlands region (like around Guadix in Granada) of the desert and the turbidic area that looks like flysch formations in the Basque Country.

Spaghetti Westerns

shot through the trees of a spaghetti wester film set

Yes, weirdly it’s true that Spaghetti western films were filmed in the Tabernas Desert. If you want to feel you’re in the wild west in Spain, then heading to either Fort Bravo or Mini Hollywood /Oasys theme parks for a day of fun is a great option. You can catch a cowboy show, explore old film sets and at Mini Hollywood, enjoy the surprisingly large zoo and pool they also have on site. 

​🎬 Films and tv shows filmed in the Tabernas Desert include

Game of Thrones (6th season) – Dothraki Sea scenes

Doctor Who (7th season) – A Town Called Mercy

Black Mirror (4th season) – Black Museum

and, of course, Lawrence of ArabiaConan the BarbarianIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade, & The Good the Bad and the Ugly

If you’re visiting Almería with kids then this is an absolute must of a day trip. We did see plenty of child-free people here but personally I probably wouldn’t have gone without my kids.

→ Buy tickets for Mini Hollywood

→ Buy tickets & transport tour

→ Buy tickets for Fort Bravo

sunset over the desert

I highly recommend taking a tour into the desert. It’s not permitted to drive into the desert without a guide but even if you did it wouldn’t be the same as you’d miss out on so much fascinating information. We took a 4×4 tour but it’s also possible to take horse riding tour into the desert.

On the tour we learned about the film industry in the region, the history of Almería and the Tabernas desert and were had the various rock formations explained to us. We took a dusk tour, which meant we got some great sunset shots. 100% recommended.

🛻 Reserve your 4×4 tour

🐴 Reserve your horse riding tour

Other nature adventures in Almería

Sorbas Caves

More than 1000 caves (50km worth) are located under the small town of Sorbas. They can be visited on tours of varying levels of difficulty. Over millions of years, million of gypsum crystals have formed on the walls of the caves, sparkling whenever a light is shined on them.

Book tickets

Pulpí and the world’s biggest geode

Cassie and 2 kids (yellow smily faces over their faces) sitting in front of the world's biggest geode

After a tour through the caves learning about the various minerals and geodes found there, you then get to see the world’s biggest geode. I cannot even begin to explain to you how it feels to see even the tiniest bit of this enormous crystal (because that’s the reality, it isn’t possible to see the whole thing) and it is as absolutely amazing as you think it should be.

→ Book tickets (and by the way, these tickets MUST be booked quite a long time in advance. Do NOT show up expecting to get a ticket on the door).

So far is Almería worth visiting?

As you can see, I firmly believe that the natural highlights of Almería are truly outstanding. The views will leave you speechless and probably plotting to figure out how to get yourself more time in this magical, mostly undisturbed part of of Spain.

What about Almería City?

view over a modern marina

Oh yes, I’m a huge fan of this small town with a gorgeous old city centre and a fabulous modern marina. While in Almería city you must check out:

⚔️ Alcazaba de Almería 

looking over the Alcazaba gardens - a long green pond with lily pads, fountain at front and building at far end

This is a fabulous fortress sitting atop a hill in Almería. It was built during the 10th & 11th centuries by the region’s Moorish leaders and was eventually taken by the Catholic Monarchs when they conquered the area.

🏴‍☠️ Almería cathedral

The cathedral was actually built both as a religious building and as a defence against Barbary pirates.

​💥 Refugios de la Guerra Civil

Explore the fascinating tunnels under Almería and learn why they were built during the Spanish Civil War and what life was like down there for residents of the city.

📍 Explore the city

Enjoy exploring the small, winding streets of Almería’s old town, especially Calle de las Tiendas where you’ll find souvenir stores. Don’t miss La Rambla & Paseo de Almería either.

📚 Good museums

There are more museums in Almería than you might expect for such a small place. I particularly loved the Museo de Almería (archaeology & ancient history) and the Mesón Gitano (Yacimiento Arqueológico Barrio Andalusí). And if you have time and access to a car, Los Millares archaeological site outside of Almería is a great place to explore, too.

🏖 City beaches

night view of an urban beach - lit up promenade

The city beaches are a delight whether you visit for supper and a stroll after a day of exploring or whether you decide to spend the day chilling here. There are 3 city beaches: Playa del Zapillo, Playa San Miguel & Playa Ciudad Luminosa.

⭐️ In 2019, Almería was the gastronomic capital of Spain. It’s true that there are lots of great places to eat in the city of Almería, to the point where we did notice that the good options seemed a lot for such a small town. 

➡️ Read more about visiting Almería City now

➡️ Learn about what there is to do in Almería with kids

So, is Almería worth visiting?

I wholeheartedly say yes. Almería is a really cool little city with plenty going on to entertain you, educate you, relax you (oh yeah, visit the Arab baths too if you have time) and feed you well.

Beautiful villages

narrow street, white washed houses on either side
small white wall with a wooden door in it, plants over and to side, turret on hill above

There is so much beauty to behold in Almería that your eyes are going to go into sensory overload but in case you’re wondering if there are any pueblos blancos to visit in Almería, there are. Níjar, Mojácar, Las Negras and Agua Amarga are all white villages. Rodalquilar (the headquarters for the natural park) and San José are also gorgeous small villages worth your time to visit.

None of these villages are busy places full of activities. Instead, they’re places to enjoy at leisure, perhaps stop in for lunch or an ice-cream and a stroll around, enjoying the views & the ambiance.

And now, is Almería worth visiting?

Cute, sleepy little villages villages for the win! Of course it’s worth visiting!!

I hope that I’ve convinced you that Almería is an incredible place to visit – let’s see what you think of these other Spanish destinations too…

Sevilla

⭐️ What is Sevilla famous for? | ⭐️ How many days do you need in Seville? | ⭐️ Everything about the Seville airport bus

⭐️ 1 day in Seville | ⭐️ 3 days in Seville | ⭐️ 5 days in Seville | ⭐️ How to visit Seville in the summer | ⭐️ How to visit the Alcazar

⭐️ Best beaches from Seville | ⭐️ Day trips from Seville | ⭐️ Seville with kids | ⭐️ Seville with teenagers | ⭐️ How to see flamenco in Seville

Malaga

⭐️ 3 days in Malaga | ⭐️ 1 day in Malaga | ⭐️ Day trips from Malaga | ⭐️ 1 day in Ronda | ⭐️ 1 day in Ronda with kids | ⭐️ What to do in Antequera

Córdoba

⭐️ What to do in Córdoba | ⭐️ Planning your Córdoba day trip from Seville | ⭐️ Exploring Córdoba with kids | ⭐️ 1 day in Córdoba | ⭐️ Zuheros, the most beautiful village in Córdoba

Cádiz

⭐️ What to do in Cádiz province | ⭐️ How to spend 1 day in Cádiz city | ⭐️ What to do in Cádiz with kids | ⭐️ Exploring Tarifa | ⭐️ How to get to Tangier from Tarifa | ⭐️ Exploring Gibraltar

Huelva

⭐️ Is Huelva worth visiting? (YES) | ⭐️ What to see in the gorgeous Aracena

Granada

⭐️ Planning your Granada city break | ⭐️ Granada with kids | ⭐️ 2 days in Granada | ⭐️ How to explore Guadix and its cave houses

Almería

⭐️ Things to do in Almería City | ⭐️ What to do in Almería with kids | ⭐️ Is Almería worth visiting? | ⭐️ Figuring out the Almería beaches

➕ Valencia

⭐️ 1 day in Valencia | ⭐️ 2 days in Valencia | ⭐️ Museums in Valencia

⭐️ Day trips from Valencia | ⭐️ Valencia with kids

➕ Madrid

⭐️ Why should you visit Madrid | ⭐️ Segovia, a perfect day trip from Madrid


Cassie

Cassie is a British-born travel writer who lives in southern Spain. Prior to moving to Spain, Cassie and her family lived in Yucatán, Mexico for many years. Something of a self-confessed-all-round travel-nerd, Cassie has a deep love of adventure, and of learning as much as possible about every place visited. This blog is testament to that.

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *